Automatic automobile fender



W. LAMBERTI.

AUTOMATIC AUTOMOBILE FENDER, APPLICATION FILED JULY 18, I921.

4 3 2 Patented Feb. 28, 1922.

scription taken in connection with the draw- 1ngS,-where1n' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM LAMBERTI, or new YORK, N. Y.

V 1 Application filed July is,

Toallwhomz'tmayconcem: is

Be it known that I; WVILLmirLAMBER'rI, acitizen of the vUnited States, residing at the-city of New York, borough'o f Manhattan; county and. State oflNew York, have invented'a certain new and useful Automatic Automobile Fender, of which the following is a specification. i p

This invention is a fender adapted for use, more particularly, on motor drivenvehicles' such as automobiles, and the object in View is to afford means torsaving the life and limbsof a pedestrian, or other person in thepath of the vehicle, by the automatic action-of: a fender carried by said vehicle.

According to my invention, a curtain composed-of strong flexible material is coiled in a compact condition and encased within a suitable housing for protection against the weather, dust, dirt, etc. .'With this curtain is associated actuating means inthe form of a plurality" ofwtu'bularl members hung for pivotaliniovement with respect to a bumper said tubular actuating means being adapted for ;enca'sing appropriate. springs which when released,operate to draw thecurtain 130F311 extended position intermediate the tnbular members, whereby the curtain presents barrier'tothe body of a person from passing under'thewheels of the vehicle. Appropriate latching means are employed for-retain-ing thetubular members ina raised position and-for locking thesp-rin'gs in an extended conditionwhileEzillowing the curtain to be wound upon its spindle, said latching means being controllable by a movement of thebumper; The impact of the bumper with a pedestrian, represses said bumperv and actu'ates the latching means, whereupon the tubular members and thespri'ng devices are released simultaneously, as 'aresult of whi'chythe tubular members: drop to their operative positions and" the" tension of the springs is brought intoservice for unwinding thefiexible curtain anddrawing said 'curta-in':out'of-the-housing to an extended operative position to'fullfil the function of a barrier. 1

Other functions and advantages ofthe invention'will appearfrom thefollowing de- Figure 1 1s a slde elevation, partly in section, bf automatic ifender' embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevation, with parts Specification of Letters Patent.

AUTOMATIC AUTOMOBILE FENDER.

Patented Feb. 23, 1922.

1921. Serial No. 485,549.

r in section, showing the barrier curtain extended. I

lligure 3 is a detail view illustrating the latching means associated with the curtain and the pivotal tubular actuator members. A designates a housing for a curtain'B, the latter being composed of a strong flexible' fabric or other material to stand the strains and stresses due to the impact of a person with the barrier afforded by said, ourta'in. The housing is shown as a cylindrical casing closed at the ends and provided with a longitudinal slot (1 through which extends the curtain, as shown in Figure3. I C is awinding spindle in the formof a springactuated roller, the spring being indicated at 0 in Figure 2. This spindle is mounted for rotation within the housing, and wit is coiled. the flexible material composing the curtain B. i

lVith the curtain is associated an actuator in the :form ofa plurality'of arms D D,the same being mounted for pivotal movement. As shown, each arm D is in the form of a tube, providedin one side thereof with a longitudinal slot d, and atone endwith a wheel hanger e. the latter being fixedly secured to the tubular member D,said wheel hanger being provided with a roller shoe E. of any desired construction. At the other end. each arm isclosed by a head 7 from I i provided with enlarged ends 6, said rod be.-

ing slidable in the slots d of the tubular members D D and said ends 6 being fitted within the chambers of said tubular members for sliding movement to serve as guides for the cross-members To this cross mem-.

berE is secured an edge portion of thefiexible curtain B,and with said cross member co-operates an appropriate latching mechanism, the same being actuated by a bumper.

-- As shown in Figureql, a bumper F is mounted in advance of the housing A,said bumper; extending parallel to the -'l1ous1n g and being movable relatively thereto. The bumper is equippedwith depending armsyG terminating in books 9 and constitutingtho latches, one at each side of the curtain, see Figure 2. The latches are movable with the bumper so as to be actuated thereby, and said latches extend rearwardly and downwardly with respect to the bumper so as to engage with the cross member E for locking the latter at one end of the slots (Z when the curtain is coiled upon the winding spindle, whereby the latches co-operate with the tubular members D D for retaining said members in the raised and inclined positions shown by full lines in Figure 1. The bumper F is mounted for movement by any suitable means; as shown, the bumper is slidable upon the guide rods 9' attached to the housing, and said bumper is pressed forwardly to an active position by the energy of coiled springs F which loosely encircle the guide rods. It is apparent that other means may be employed for supportingthe bumper in movable relation to the housing. 1 p

H are coiled springs encased within the tubular members D. Each spring is attached at one end to the lower end of the tubular member or to the wheel hanger thereof as at it in Figure 1, whereas the other end of the spring'is fastened to the guide 6 of the curtain rod or cross member E. i

The fender as an entirety is attached to, or mounted on, the motor driven vehicle in a suitable manner. The housing occupies a stationary position, with the members D-of the actuator extending forwardly, and with the bumper F extending crosswise between said tubular members. The curtain B is coiled on the spindle within the housing,

' thus drawing on the cross member E in order to distend the springs H, and the latches G engaging with the crossmember for retaining the tubular members Din the raised inclined positions and for retaining said springs H under tension. The impact of a person against the bumper F forces the latter rearwardly against the tension of springs F, the effect of which is to disengage latches G from the cross member E, whereupon the tubular members D and springs Hare released at the same time, as a result of which the tubular members D drop or fall for the roller shoes E to rest upon the roadway and the springs H react in a manner to unwind the curtain from the spindle and to draw said curtain to the extended position shown by full lines in Figure 2 During the unwinding of the curtain by the pull of springs H it slides freely. in a slot 2' of a cross rod I extending between the tubular members D and attached fixedly thereto; The curtain is thus lowered and unwound automatically so as to be supported by and between the cross rods E and I, and said ourtam' thus affords a barrier extending upwardly from the roadway, whereby said ourtam presents a barrierefl'ective in prevent -ing the vehicle wheels from riding over the body or limbs of a person who may be knocked down by the movement of the 7 vehicle. I 7

2. In a fender of the class described, a

curtain composed of flexible material, means for winding said curtain, an actuator hung for movement relatively to the curtain winding means, springs encased within the actuator and connected with the curtain for unwinding the latter concurrently with a pivotal movement of said actuator, a bumper, and latch mechanism operable by the bumper and co-operating with the actuator and the springs for releasing the same upon the re pression of said bumper. V

3. In a fender ofthe class described, a curtaincomposed of flexible material, winding means'therefor, an actuator composed of a plurality of tubular members hung for movement relatively to the curtain winding means, a bumper, latchingmeans actuated by the bumper and operating for retaining the tubular members in a raised inactive position, and springs encased within the tubular members and co-operating with the curtain forunwindingthe latter upon releasing said tubular members from'the Tre1- straint of said latchingmeans, Y

4. In a fender of the class described, a

curtain composed offlexiblematerial, means for winding the same, a bumper, a plurality of tubular slotted members hung for pivotal movement, a cross member slidable in the slots of said tubular members and attached to the curtain, springs encased within the tubular members and attached tothe cross member for unwinding the said curtain, and latching means controllable by the bumper and co-operating with the cross member for retaining the tubular members in a raised position and 'for placing said springs under tension.

5. 'In a fender of the class described, a

curtain housing, a flexible curtain, means for winding said curtain in a compact condition within said housing, an actuator em bodying a plurality of pivotal members, a

bumper, latching means actuated by the bumper and co-operating with theactuator for retaining the latter in a raised position,

and spring mechanism connected with the curtain and co-operating with the latching means to be held thereby in a distended position.

6. In a fender ofthe class described, a curtain composed of flexible material, means for winding the same, a plurality of tubular members provided with shoes and hung for pivotal movement with respect to said winding means, latching means for retaining the tubular members in a raised position, and spring mechanism held in a distended condition by the action of said latching means, said spring mechanism being connected with said curtain and adapted, when released by the latching means, to automatically unwind the curtain.

7. A fender of the class described embodying a fixed casing, a spring-actuated winding spindle therein, a curtain composed of flexible material and adapted to be coiled on said spindle, a plurality of pivoted tubular arms each having a roller shoe, a cross member slidable relatively to said pivoted arms and attached to said curtain, bumper-controlled latching means positioned for engagement with said cross member, springs encased within the tubular arms and attached to the cross member, and a fixed guide member through which the flexible curtain is free to slide.

In testimony whereof I have hereto signed my name this 16th da of July, 1921.

WILL AM LAMBERTT 

